Malwarebytes Antivirus Review 2026: Is It Worth the Hype?

Malwarebytes is a lightweight antivirus solution designed for people who want fast scans, real-time protection, and minimal performance impact. In our latest testing, Malwarebytes impressed us with its quick scan speeds, easy-to-use dashboard, and strong defenses against malware and phishing. 

Malwarebytes lacks some advanced features found in competitors, including a firewall and full system scans on macOS. Still, Malwarebytes stands out for its reliable malware remediation, updated threat database, and optional extras like a VPN and identity protection. 

We'll cover Malwarebytes' cost, features, test results, and more so you can make an informed decision about your antivirus protection.

Overview

Price	$44.99–$199.99/yr
# of devices protected	1-20
Malware scans	Free version: Manual scans only Premium version: Manual and scheduled scans
Real-time protection	Yes
EICAR test results	3/3
Firewall	No
Phishing protection	Yes
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Extras	VPN, identity theft protection
24/7 customer support	Yes
Details	Get Malwarebytes

Star rating summary

We last tested Malwarebytes on December 10, 2025.

Our experience

Our experience with Malwarebytes Premium was largely a pleasant one, featuring an easy-to-use interface and fast scanning capabilities. We tested Malwarebytes on a MacBook running macOS Tahoe. 

Every time we ran a Threat Scan, it completed in under 30 seconds. We were just disappointed that Malwarebytes doesn't offer a full system scan on the macOS app. 

Quarantining and then deleting the flagged files requires only one click. Honestly, everything about navigating the Malwarebytes dashboard was easy. 

If you’re a Mac user and want more than just a quick scan option, consider a macOS alternative, like Avast. Currently, Malwarebytes doesn’t offer a Deep Scan for macOS. 

You also won’t get a firewall with this software on macOS or Windows, which could be a deal breaker if you're seeking network protection.

Malwarebytes prices and plans

Malwarebytes price ranges from $44.99–$199.99/yr. Your price depends on your plan tier, subscription length, and number of devices you want covered (hence the wide price range). 

You can get the free version of Malwarebytes if all you want is on-demand scanning and virus removal.

When you need other features, such as scheduled scans and real-time protection, you should opt for Malwarebytes Plus or Malwarebytes Ultimate. The Malwarebytes Plus plans come with Malwarebytes Privacy VPN, while the Malwarebytes Ultimate plans include identity protection and data removal.

	Malwarebytes Free	Malwarebytes Standard	Malwarebytes Plus	Malwarebytes Ultimate
Price per month	Free	Starts at $44.99/yr	Starts at $79.99/yr	Starts at $139.99/yr
# devices supported	1	1–20	1-20	1-20
Manual and auto scans	Manual only	Manual and auto scans	Manual and auto scans	Manual and auto scans
Ransomware protection
Phishing protection
Real-time protection
Ad blocker
VPN
Identity theft protection
Data removal
Details	View plan	View plan	View plan	View plan

Premium plans for one device start at $44.99/yr, and can become as expensive as $139.99/yr. This is much more expensive than services like Bitdefender, which starts at $34.99/first yr, and TotalAV, which starts at $19.00/first yr.

Malwarebytes offers a 14-day trial at no cost, plus a 60-day money-back guarantee, so you have plenty of time to try it out.

Malwarebytes Premium features

When you upgrade to a premium Malwarebytes plan, you can expect a few more features. We'll detail all the features Malwarebytes includes below.

Malware and antivirus scan

Both Malwarebytes Free and Malwarebytes Premium versions have a couple of manual anti-malware scans. You can run a Quick Scan, which scans your memory and startup options, or a Deep Scan for a better analysis of your device. You can also choose specific folders and files to scan with a Custom Scan.

The Scheduled Scans feature is highly customizable, offering hourly, daily, and weekly scan options.

Note that Malwarebytes for macOS only has the Threat Scan option, which is like a quick scan. 

Phishing protection

Malwarebytes Premium offers phishing protection, but the free version is designed for regular cleanup functions that other antivirus software may miss.

You get phishing protection if you download the Malwarebytes Browser Guard extension. It successfully warned us of our test phishing site while allowing us to easily bypass it if a false positive was detected.

Real-time protection

Malwarebytes Premium includes real-time protection, which covers four protection layers:

• Web protection: Protects you from online scams, phishing sites, and ransomware sites
• Malware and PUP protection: Protects you from malware, viruses, adware, potentially unwanted programs (PUPs), and other cyberthreats
• Ransomware protection: Protects you from ransomware, which locks you out of your device and files
• Exploit protection: Protects you from malware that uses bugs and vulnerabilities in a system for hacking

The real-time Protection feature is simple to use and enabled by default. If you want to customize the settings, simply go to your Protection settings tab:

Ransomware protection

Ransomware protection is included in Malwarebytes Premium. Malwarebytes scans for ransomware alongside viruses, Trojans, and other malware.

As with viruses and malware, if ransomware threats are found, you’ll receive a report asking if you want to remove them. Once you confirm that you want to remove the threats, Malwarebytes will clean them up and restore your device to its previous security state.

Bonus features

There are three bonus features available with Malwarebytes plans, depending on the plan you choose.

• The Malwarebytes VPN is included with the Plus plan, providing access to over 150+ servers across 34+ countries.
• Identity theft protection is included with the Ultimate plan, providing dark web monitoring, credit reporting, and $2 million in identity theft insurance.
• The Personal Data Remover is also included with the Ultimate plan, which can delete your information from search results, spam lists, people search sites, and more. 

Malwarebytes test results

To ensure products perform at the expected level, we conduct a series of in-house tests and enlist the help of trusted third-party testers to evaluate Malwarebytes' performance in real-world scenarios.

Scan efficiency

• Result: No EICAR files found during Threat Scan.

Before we installed Malwarebytes, we downloaded multiple malware dummy files and spread them throughout our laptop. We placed them on our desktop, in our downloads folder, and in our documents folder, then ran a Threat Scan to find these files.

	Threat Scan
Time spent	23 seconds
# of files scanned	36,729
Did it find EICAR files?	0/3 EICAR files found

Unfortunately, Malwarebytes didn't find any of the malware files we placed on our laptop. We hope Malwarebytes adds full system scans and custom scans to its macOS program considering that the Threat Scan missed the files. 

EICAR test results

• Result: 3/3

The European Institute for Computer Anti-Virus Research (EICAR) provides a series of helpful tools to test whether your antivirus is working properly. Many of these tools are safe files that are made to appear malicious, so any properly functioning antivirus software would protect you from them.

We put Malwarebytes to the EICAR test, and it performed beautifully, coming in with a perfect 3/3 score.

Test	Malwarebytes score
Malware detection	Pass
Drive-by malware downloads	Pass
Phishing pages detection	Pass

The first two tests are different ways a website can trick you into downloading malicious files. In both cases, Malwarebytes blocked the downloads immediately.

After we bypassed the block manually, the Malwarebytes Browser Guard extension blocked us from accessing the page. It also successfully blocked the phishing page.

AV-TEST results

• Result: Middling and outdated results, especially on Android

AV-TEST is a leading third-party antivirus testing agency that rigorously tests all of the popular antivirus software. Although Malwarebytes was not included in its most recent test cycles, it has been previously tested on both Windows and Android platforms.

Test type	Windows score	macOS score	Android score
Protection	5.5/6	N/A	5/6
Performance	5.5/6	N/A	6/6
Usability	6/6	N/A	3/6
Total	17/18	N/A	14/18
Date	October 2023	N/A	July 2020
Link to test	Link	N/A	Link

While the scores Malwarebytes received aren't the worst, especially on Windows, we would prefer to see a perfect score — especially when it comes to your security online.

On Windows, Malwarebytes scored a 98.4% in Protection, though it has since improved its Protection score to match the industry average of 99.2%.

It received the same overall score in performance, primarily due to being 6% to 10% slower in installing frequently used apps and launching standard software during the scan.

The Android test was a different story altogether. Malwarebytes actually had much higher scores than the industry standard in protection, coming in at 98.9% compared to 96.9%. This was an older test conducted in July 2020, so we wonder if AV-TEST is less stringent in its scoring nowadays.

But it did only okay in usability, which measures how many false positives the software finds. Malwarebytes came up with a total of three false positives in its test, which is exactly the industry average.

Finally, Malwarebytes was never tested for its Mac tools, which may indicate less emphasis on its macOS product. This isn't necessarily a knock against the company, since third-party testing is expensive.

AV-Comparatives test results

• Result: Improved and recent protection scores, but still has some outdated results

AV-Comparatives is another leading and trusted antivirus testing company. Malwarebytes has gone through all four of its main tests, though it's been a few years now.

Test type	Mobile security	Real-world protection	Malware protection	Performance impact (Lower is better)
Score	99.3%	98.1%	99.88%	17.5
Platform	Android	Windows	Windows	Windows
Date	May 2022	July-October 2025	September 2025	September 2025
Link	Link	Link	Link	Link

While all these scores look good on paper, Malwarebytes placed in the middle to lower rankings on all but the real-world protection test:

• Mobile security: Came in 10th place with seven false positives (compared to the 0 that the top-ranked products flagged).
• Real-world protection: Came in sixth place out of eight antivirus programs. Avast, AVG, and Norton all received a perfect protection score. 
• Malware protection: Came in 16th out of 19 antivirus programs. The top-rated programs were ESET, G Data, McAfee, and Microsoft, which all received a 100% protection rate.
• Performance impact: Came in 11th out of 18 places. The top place this round went to Kaspersky, which only had a 3.0 impact score.

SE Labs results

• Result: 91%

Finally, SE Labs is the last third-party test site on our list. Based in the U.K., SE Labs releases quarterly antivirus performance reports for both consumers and enterprises.

The last time Malwarebytes was tested was in the first quarter of 2021.

Test type	Home Anti-Malware Protection
Protection accuracy rating	78%
Legitimate accuracy rating	98%
Total accuracy rating	91%
Date	2021 Q1
Link	Link

Unfortunately, Malwarebytes ranked last in this test, with the first-place software coming out with a perfect 100% score. Malwarebytes' Legitimate Accuracy Rating was a respectable 98%, but its Protection Accuracy Rating was significantly lower. 

Malwarebytes compatibility

	Compatibility
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
Browser extensions	Yes — Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge

You won’t have trouble finding a system or device that’s compatible with Malwarebytes. You can also use it with another antivirus software, which could be a bonus if you’re being extra cautious about online security. For enhanced protection, you can also enable the Browser Guard extension.

Malwarebytes customer support

Support type	Malwarebytes
Email or live chat
Phone
Online guides or forums

Malwarebytes has a support page with various options to address issues you may be experiencing, including billing, installation, adding devices, and requesting a refund. There is also a chat function available for you to ask questions and receive automated answers.

If you ask the bot to connect you to a live agent, it'll oblige. We were connected relatively quickly, but didn't receive a helpful answer.

We asked them about the phishing protection features Malwarebytes offers, as their pricing page advertises that all product levels include this feature. The agent didn't have an answer and simply sent us a link to a help guide talking about general phishing protection.

Since we tested the phishing protection of their Browser Guard extension and knew it worked, we expected them to point us in that direction. Instead, it was obvious they didn't know what to do when not asked a question from their script.

Malwarebytes user reviews

• Apple App Store rating: 4.5
• Google Play Store rating: 4.5
• Trustpilot rating: 3.7

Malwarebytes earned the same star rating on both mobile app stores. Apple App Store reviewers mention how dependable Malwarebytes is and the helpful customer support team. Google Play Store reviewers like the peace of mind the app provides, though they call out the excessive ads and trouble with cancelling subscriptions.

On Trustpilot, Malwarebytes has more middling reviews. Reviews mention that Malwarebytes provides effective antivirus protection, but its user interface can be hard to navigate.   

Top alternatives

Malwarebytes has its strengths, but it's not the best antivirus software for macOS, and other antivirus solutions offer a more competitive first-year price. 

We've tested dozens of antivirus programs and recommend TotalAV as a solid, budget-friendly antivirus suite. We also recommend McAfee for families because it boasts unlimited device protection, a rare feature. Our #1 pick overall is Norton due to its advanced security suite, demonstrated performance, and reasonable price points.

Bottom line: Is Malwarebytes good?

Malwarebytes works well, but it has some protection gaps. We found Malwarebytes to be a good and extremely fast antivirus tool, with some improvements in its third-party test scores. 

If you want an antivirus that won’t take much time and focuses on removing malware and other online threats, Malwarebytes may be the perfect choice. But if you need an antivirus program that offers more cybersecurity features, then you should check out our list of the best antivirus software.

Or if you like to compare antivirus side-by-side, check out some of our in-depth comparison articles:

• TotalAV vs. Malwarebytes
• AVG vs. Malwarebytes
• Norton vs. Malwarebytes
• McAfee vs. Malwarebytes
• Bitdefender vs. Malwarebytes
• Avast vs. Malwarebytes

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